The Opening Tip
The Indiana men's basketball team is ranked eighth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and AP Poll and will battle Xavier in the championship of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. IU is coming off a 70-57 win over Illinois State in the semifinals last night. Xavier is 3-1 after defeating Kent State, 78-65, Friday night in the other semifinal. The Hoosiers hold an 8-0 advantage over the Musketeers. The two teams last met on November 29, 2003 when the Hoosiers took an 80-77 win in overtime in a game in Indianapolis. Indiana has a 32-11 record all-time against the Atlantic-10. Chicago natives Jamarcus Ellis (Westinghouse), DeAndre Thomas (Westinghouse) and Brandon McGee (Crane) are returning home to play collegiately in their hometown for the first time.

The Coaches
Two-time National Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson was named the 26th head coach in Indiana University history on March 29, 2006 and enters his second year with the Hoosiers and 25th as a collegiate head coach. He has notched 16 20-plus win seasons and is 480-268 (.656). In his first year with the Cream and Crimson, Sampson's squad finished 21-11 and tied a school record by going 15-0 at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers earned their 34th NCAA Tournament bid, advanced to the second round of the West Regional after defeating Gonzaga, 70-57, in the first round, and were ranked as high as 19th in the country during the regular season.

Coach Sean Miller is in his fourth season at Xavier and has a 65-33 record. The Musketeers were 25-9 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.